Entertainment
Nick Cannon ‘taking break from work’ following tragic death of son Zen at five months
Nick Cannon broke down in tears while discussing the death of his son Zen (Picture: Backgrid)
Nick Cannon is taking a break from work following the death of his son, Zen, it has been claimed.
The 41-year-old star shared the tragic news of his five-month-old son’s death on Tuesday, in an emotional speech on the Nick Cannon Show.
He welcomed his seventh child, with Alyssa Scott, in June of this year, and became tearful when he told the audience that the little one died of a brain tumor over the weekend.
According to reports, the former Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor will now be taking ‘some time off’ from the show for a period of time.
An insider told Entertainment Tonight that Nick was ‘scheduled to have two show tapings on Monday, including a live show. Those were both unexpectedly canceled on Sunday and a pre-taped episode was aired on Monday instead’.
While an additional source added that the ‘crew and studio audience were all shocked by the devastating news’, and were all ‘unaware of the tragic and extremely personal announcement Nick was going to make about the loss of his youngest child, Zen, during the live show this morning’.
Baby Zen died of a rare brain tumor over the weekend, and was previously diagnosed with Hydrocephalus months before his death.
The condition is a build up of fluid in the brain, which can put pressure on the brain and damage it.
Symptoms include headaches, nausea and blurred vision. If untreated, it can be fatal.
Nick broke down as he opened up about his tragic loss on Tuesday, explaining the moment that doctors told the family their son had fluid building up inside his head.
Zen immediately underwent brain surgery but his condition worsened over the last few weeks.
‘The tumor began to grow a lot faster, and we knew that time was…’ he said before taking a moment to gather himself.
Detailing their last days together, Nick explained that he made sure the family had ‘the most quality time’.
What is Hydrocephalus?
Hydrocephalus is a build up of fluid in the brain, which can put pressure on the brain and damage it.
Symptoms include headaches, nausea, difficulty walking and blurred vision.
There are three main types of hydrocephalus:
Congenital – which is present at birth, acquired – which develops after birth, and normal pressure – which usually develops in older people.
The condition can usually be treated using a shunt (a thin tube) that drains away the excess fluid.
If left untreated, Hydrocephalus can be fatal.
‘This weekend I made an effort to spend the most quality time with Zen,’ he continued through tears. ‘We woke up on Sunday, we got a chance to go to the ocean.
‘I got a call on my way to the airport to head back to Zen.’
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He shared that he held his son for the last time over the weekend, and returned to work soon after the tragedy to keep himself busy.
Describing the episode as a ‘celebration of life’ for Zen, he added: ‘You can’t heal until you feel’.
The audience applauded as he dedicated the instalment to his late son.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Nick’s reps for a comment.
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